PHYSICIANS
SERVICES 
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Description of Services
Dr. Fontes, Dr. Ragsdell, and Dr. Ravitch are trained in a multitude of orthopedic procedures. The following are just a few of the services they provide:
Joint Replacement/Arthroplasty
Severe cartilage loss due to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis may require arthroplasty (joint replacement). Joint replacements are now being performed on the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, and ankle. Major advances in design and materials and surgical techniques have advanced the "lifespan" of joint replacement. Many people can expect their joint replacement to last over twenty years and some reports of artificial joints lasting thirty years or more are now being made.
Drs. Ravitch, Fontes and Ragsdell, through years of experience and continued integration of new technologies, offer state-of-the-art arthroplasty treatment. While joint replacement represents a major surgery, it should be reassuring to know that arthroplasty of knee and hip are frequently sited as two of the most successful surgeries available across all surgical specialties. This conclusion is based on studies that show that around 95-99% of patients who have had joint replacement surgery would do so again.
One of the most frequently asked questions is, "How long is the recovery?" While individual results vary, most patients find that recovery is faster than they expected. "Complete recovery," perhaps best defined as that point in time when improvement has reached a plateau, can often extend 6 to 12 months, but most patients find that they have less pain in their new joint somewhere around 3 to 6 weeks after surgery. In other words, you can expect to have better function and less pain after only 3-6 weeks after surgery! In some cases patient report less pain when they leave the hospital 3 days after surgery.
Physical Therapy is a very important component of joint replacement treatment. We are happy to offer in-office therapy which affords are patients, therapists, and physicians the ability to carefully tailor your therapy to your needs. Our patients benefit from early detection of rare problems such as failure to reach certain range of motion or strength milestones.
In summary, you can rest assured that if you elect to have joint replacement at Black Mountain Orthopaedics you can expect state-of-the-art care from experienced and talented surgeons and therapists.
Sports Medicine/Arthroscopy
To most orthopedic surgeons sports medicine means arthroscopic treatment of knee and shoulder problems. To the physicians at BMO sports medicine means offering our patients the latest techniques and technologies in bracing, therapy, and surgery used by professional athletes and teams to return their athletes to greatness. We work very closely with our in-house therapists to develop and customize rehabilitation protocols.
New technologies continue to expand the range of problems that can be addressed arthroscopically. We have moved to fully arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in most cases. Arthroscopic shoulder stabilization procedures (Bankart repair) and arthroscopic treatment of shoulder impingement are now routine. Ankle arthroscopy is also now commonly performed for early arthritis, bone spurs, loose bodies and osteochondral injuries. We offer a full range of knee reconstruction options including anterior and posterior cruciate reconstruction, meniscal repair and osteochondral reconstruction.
Trauma/Fracture
Traumatic orthopaedic injuries are increasingly being treated by orthopaedic surgeons with specialty interest or training in trauma. In the Las Vegas valley, Dr. Fontes and Dr. Ragsdell are two of a select group of surgeons who have the training needed to best manage the challenge of traumatic injuries.
Fortunately trauma surgery techniques and implants continue to evolve and improve and provide skilled surgeons the tools to rebuild, reconstruct or replace severely damaged bones. A strong emphasis is made to achieve well-aligned fractures with strong implants that allow early joint movement and the most rapid return to pre-injury function.
Advanced trauma care sometimes involves the treatment of fractures that have failed to heal (non-union) or healed in poor position (mal-union). Dr. Fontes specializes in the treatment of these conditions. Specialized techniques are often needed to get successful healing but healing can be achieved in almost every case.
Foot and Ankle
While at UCSF, Dr. Fontes co-managed the foot and Ankle division and has extensive experience with complex forefoot and hindfoot reconstructions, including revision surgery.
General Orthopaedics
In this era of increasing super-specialization it may be difficult to get your more routine orthopaedic conditions treated. Alternatively, you may find that you are shuffled between a series of specialists who only treat one body part. While there is know doubt that specialization and specialty care has a role, there are many, if not most, conditions that can be treated by a general orthopaedic surgeon who can take a holistic approach to your skeletal care. For example, hip pain, which can be caused by trochanteric bursitis, hip arthritis, sciatica, fracture, or ligament injury, can be evaluated and, in most cases, treated by the same orthopaedic surgeon.
Drs. Fontes, Ravitch, and Ragsdell represent collectively over 60 years of experience caring for most every aspect of the musculoskeletal system. Broad experience such as this widens the scope of conditions we are familiar with and increases the chance that diagnosis will be considered and discovered. Each physician also has specialized interest within orthopaedic surgery so internal referrals are often made for "specialized care" if needed. In any case, you can be assured of excellent and comprehensive orthopaedic care.
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